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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28432713">Home for Christmas</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nursinggeek/pseuds/nursinggeek'>nursinggeek</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Lady Astronaut Series - Mary Robinette Kowal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Community: adventdrabbles, F/M, reference to canon character death, spoilers through the end of The Relentless Moon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:42:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>341</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28432713</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nursinggeek/pseuds/nursinggeek</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This isn't what Nicole had imagined her first Christmas back on Earth would be like. As with anything, though, she'll make it work.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nicole Wargin/Kenneth Wargin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Home for Christmas</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was inspired by the <a href="https://adventdrabbles.dreamwidth.org/286958.html">first prompt at AdventDrabbles for 2021</a>, which I obviously took some liberties with, as Marlowe is a cat, not a dog.  Huge thanks to my anonymous beta for finding a canon timeline issue I needed to address. I did not put it through for a re-check, though, so any inconsistency is entirely my fault.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Everyone meant well. They had all kinds of suggestions about how she should surround herself with friends and family so that she wouldn’t be alone, the first Christmas after … after. When more than half of your friends were either on the moon or en route to Mars, however, this was not helpful advice. The idea of setting up the grand governor’s Christmas tree she and Kenneth had used for years and inviting people over just to fill the house sounded like nothing short of torture.</p><p>At least no one had expectations of public displays of festivity from a recently-widowed president-elect. None that she knew of, at least. If there’d been any who had, well, Chu was rather thoroughly enjoying his promotion. They’d likely been told with exquisite politeness to go to hell.</p><p>Instead, Nicole set up a very small tree, and reverently placed the ornaments that had meant the most to her and to Kenneth. A silver filigree snowflake they’d found on their honeymoon. A blown glass bauble from Kenneth’s mother. Nothing fancy. Nothing religious, at least not in the usual sense of the word.</p><p>Marlowe gracefully sauntered over, his rusty black coat turning deep burgundy in the light of the fireplace as he passed it. He glared regally at her until Nicole scooped him up to hold him in her lap.  </p><p>This was what she needed. This was her time with Kenneth. Not the obligatory time spent tending to his grave. He wasn’t there. But here? Now? She could almost imagine he was in the kitchen, whipping up a Caesar salad while their steaks broiled. It ached and she was furious with herself for entertaining the idea, and yet it was as comforting as Marlowe’s purr.</p><p>“Mrow?”</p><p>“Yes, I suppose it is time for your dinner,” she said, setting him back down, gently so as not to annoy his rickety joints. “And mine. Let’s see what Thelma’s got for us. Food is fuel after all.”</p><p>A tail swish of agreement was her answer.  It felt like a smile from Kenneth.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I had grand ideas when I opened this account <i>in 2019</i> about writing an AdventDrabble for a different fandom every day that didn't already have a tag here on AO3. At the end of 2020, I'm happy to see that this is <i>not</i> the first fic for MRK's Lady Astronaut series. I'm less happy that I've not managed to write for any of the other fandoms I had in mind, though I may continue playing with those or other prompts into 2021.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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